Corrugated Shipping Mailer with Preformed Fold Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing soft-sided shipping receptacles, such as bubble mailers, are space-intensive and costly to ship in bulk due to their non-biodegradable and non-recyclable polymeric materials, necessitating improvements in cushioned or padded envelopes.
Innovation Solution
The development of an expandable shipping mailer with corrugated walls that can fold to accommodate objects, featuring preformed fold lines and a biodegradable cellulosic material construction, allowing for nesting in a collapsed state to reduce thickness and enhance recyclability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If existing soft-sided shipping receptacles are made of polymeric materials, then cushioning and durability are improved, but biodegradability and recyclability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from synthetic polymeric materials to cellulosic materials, maintaining the cushioning function while improving biodegradability. The corrugated cellulosic material provides structural cushioning equivalent to plastic while being environmentally benign.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure combining corrugated cellulosic material with paper or cardboard layers, creating a multi-layered cushioning system that provides protection comparable to plastic while remaining biodegradable and recyclable.
2Strength
If shipping mailers are made non-collapsible, then protection during shipping is improved, but space efficiency and shipping cost deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic mailer that transitions from a collapsed flat state for efficient shipping to an expanded three-dimensional state during use. The corrugated structure naturally expands when an object is inserted, providing protection only when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables mailers to be nested or stacked in a collapsed state, with one mailer fitting inside or alongside another, maximizing space efficiency during bulk shipping while maintaining full protective capability when expanded.
3Ease of operation
If preformed fold lines are added to corrugations, then ease of assembly is improved, but manufacturing complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates preformed fold lines and creases in the corrugated material during manufacturing, allowing the mailer to automatically fold and assemble into its three-dimensional protective form without requiring additional assembly steps or tools by the end user.
Data Source
AI summary
A shipping mailer includes a main body having a first wall and a second wall that are folded together and sealed along sealed side edge portions of the main body. The shipping mailer has a closed first end portion and a second end portion having an opening sealable by a closure. The main body is made of a single-face corrugated material including a liner layer and a fluted layer. The main body includes a center fold line at the closed first end portion from which the first and second walls extend. The fluted layer includes a plurality of flutes extending parallel to the center fold line, and flutes of the first wall nest with flutes of the second wall. The fluted layer includes a plurality of preformed longitudinal fold lines formed in the flutes, and the preformed longitudinal fold lines are offset inwardly from the sealed side edge portions.